American logistics in the Western Allied invasion of Germany supported
operations in Northwest Europe during World War II from January 1945
until the end of the war in Europe on 8 May. The Allies had to advance
across the Rhineland, which was in the grip of thaws, rains and floods.
They were then confronted by the Rhine, the most formidable barrier to
the Allied advance since the English Channel. The river was crossed and
bridged, and railways and pipelines were run across it. Most supplies
were delivered by rail. In the final advance into the heart of Germany,
combat losses and ammunition expenditure declined, while shortages of
fuel and spare parts developed, as was to be expected in fast-moving
mobile operations. Railheads were pushed forward, with the
rehabilitation of the network keeping pace with the advance, while the
Motor Transport Service organized an express service that moved supplies
from the railheads to the forward units.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_logistics_in_the_Western_Allied_inva…>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1842:
A train derailed and caught fire near Versailles, France,
killing at least 52 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versailles_rail_accident>
1927:
French aviators Charles Nungesser and François Coli aboard the
biplane L'Oiseau Blanc took off from Paris, attempting to make the first
non-stop flight to New York, only to disappear before arrival.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Oiseau_Blanc>
1963:
In Huế, South Vietnam, soldiers opened fire into a crowd of
Buddhists protesting against a government ban on the flying of the
Buddhist flag on Phật Đản, killing nine and sparking the Buddhist
crisis.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu%E1%BA%BF_Ph%E1%BA%ADt_%C4%90%E1%BA%A3n_sho…>
1972:
Four members of Black September hijacked Sabena Flight 571 to
demand the release of 315 Palestinians convicted on terrorism charges.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabena_Flight_571>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
VE Day:
Short for Victory in Europe Day: the date 8 May 1945 when Germany
unconditionally surrendered its armed forces to the Allies, bringing
World War II to an end; and each anniversary commemorating that date.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/VE_Day>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
God bless you all. This is your victory! It is the victory of the
cause of freedom in every land. In our long history, we have never seen
a greater day than this. Everyone, man or woman, has done their best.
--Winston Churchill
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill>
Guandimiao is a Chinese archaeological site in Xingyang, Henan. It is
the site of a small Late Shang village, inhabited by around 100 people
at its peak, and occupied from c. 1250 to 1100 BCE. It likely
exported ceramics (example pictured) and cattle, while importing mass
produced goods such as arrowheads and hairpins from the Shang capital at
Yinxu, 200 km (120 mi) to the north. The villagers practiced rituals
such as pyromancy using locally produced oracle bones and the sacrifice
of cattle—as well as, more rarely, pigs and humans. Burials at the
site have been noted for the almost complete absence of grave goods
beyond occasional cowrie shells and sacrificed dogs. First excavated
from 2006 to 2008 during preparations for the South–North Water
Transfer Project, excavations have significantly broadened scholars'
understanding of rural Shang economies and rituals, as well as the
layout of rural villages, which have received relatively little
attention in comparison to urban centers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guandimiao>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1794:
French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre established the Cult
of the Supreme Being as the new state religion of the French First
Republic.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_of_the_Supreme_Being>
1798:
War of the First Coalition: A British garrison repelled a
French attack on the Îles Saint-Marcouf off the Normandy coast,
inflicting heavy losses.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_%C3%8Eles_Saint-Marcouf>
1937:
Employees at Fleischer Studios in New York City went on strike
in the animation industry's first major labor strike.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1937_Fleischer_Studios_strike>
1946:
Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita founded the telecommunications
corporation Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, later renamed Sony.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
conclave:
1. (Roman Catholicism)
2. The set of apartments in which cardinals are secluded while the
process to elect a pope takes place.
3. A group of cardinals assembled to elect a new pope.
4. (by extension, loosely) The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church
collectively.
5. A closed assembly at which cardinals elect a pope.
6. (by extension) A closed, private, or secret meeting, especially one
of an ecclesiastical nature.
7. (obsolete) A private chamber or room.
8. To participate in a closed, private, or secret meeting.
9. (Roman Catholicism) Of a cardinal: to attend a closed assembly to
elect a pope.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/conclave>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Come, O Creator Spirit blest! And in our souls take up Thy rest;
Come, with Thy grace and heav'nly aid, To fill the hearts which Thou
hast made. Great Paraclete! to Thee we cry: O highest gift of God most
high! O fount of life! O fire of love! And sweet Anointing from above!
--Rabanus Maurus
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rabanus_Maurus>
William Daniel Leahy (6 May 1875 – 20 July 1959) was the most
senior United States military officer on active duty during World
War II, and the first to hold a five-star rank in the U.S. Armed
Forces. An 1897 graduate of Annapolis, Leahy saw active service in the
Spanish–American War, the Philippine–American War, the Boxer
Rebellion in China, the Banana Wars in Central America, and World
War I, and was Chief of Naval Operations from 1937 to 1939. After
retiring from the Navy, he was appointed the governor of Puerto Rico. In
his most controversial role, he served as the ambassador to France from
1940 to 1942. He was recalled to active duty as Chief of Staff to the
President in 1942, and served in that capacity for the rest of the war.
As the de facto first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he presided
over the American delegation to the Combined Chiefs of Staff. He was a
major decision-maker during the war and was second only to the president
in authority and influence.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_D._Leahy>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1782:
Construction began on the Grand Palace in Bangkok, the official
residence of the king of Thailand.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Palace>
1915:
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition: SY Aurora, anchored in
McMurdo Sound, broke loose during a gale, beginning a 312-day ordeal in
the Ross Sea and Southern Ocean for her 18-man crew.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SY_Aurora%27s_drift>
2004:
The final episode of the television sitcom Friends was aired.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friends>
2013:
Amanda Berry escaped from the Cleveland, Ohio, home of her
captor, Ariel Castro, having been held there with two other women for
ten years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Castro_kidnappings>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
imperturbable:
Not capable of being, or not easily, perturbed, excited, or upset; calm
and collected, even under pressure.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/imperturbable>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
There's a light that is shining in the heart of a man, it's the
light that was shining when the world began. There's a light that is
shining in the Turk and the Jew and a light that is shining, friend, in
me and in you.
--Sydney Carter
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sydney_Carter>
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is a 2004 action role-playing game
that was developed by Square Enix and Jupiter, and published by Square
Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive for the Game Boy Advance.
Yoko Shimomura (pictured) composed the game's music. A direct sequel to
Kingdom Hearts, it uses a new card-based battle system rather than its
predecessor's real-time combat. The story follows Sora and his friends
as they explore the Castle Oblivion while battling Organization XIII.
It received positive reviews for its story, graphics and full-motion
videos, but its battle system was criticized. It was remade for the
PlayStation 2 as Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories and packaged with
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. It was then remastered in high definition
and included in the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix collection, which was
released in 2013 for the PlayStation 3, and later for the
PlayStation 4, the Xbox One, and personal computers.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Hearts:_Chain_of_Memories>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1864:
American Civil War: Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland
Campaign in Virginia began with the inconclusive Battle of the
Wilderness in Spotsylvania County.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Wilderness>
1891:
Carnegie Hall (interior pictured) in New York City, built by
the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, officially opened with a concert
conducted by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Hall>
1980:
The British Special Air Service recaptured the Iranian embassy
in London following a six-day siege after Iranian Arab separatists had
seized it.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Embassy_siege>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
aprimorate:
(transitive, non-native speakers' English) To raise (something) to a
better state; to elevate, to improve, to refine.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aprimorate>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Out of love, God becomes man. He says: Here you see what it is to
be a human being; but he adds: Take care, for I am also God — blessed
is he who takes no offense at me.
--The Sickness Unto Death
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Sickness_Unto_Death>
Hualca Hualca is a 6,025-metre-high (19,767 ft) extinct volcano in the
Andes of southern Peru. It is part of the Peruvian segment of the
Central Volcanic Zone, one of several volcanic belts in the Andes. It
lies about 70 kilometres (43 mi) northwest of Arequipa and is part of a
north–south chain that includes the volcanoes Ampato and Sabancaya,
the last of which has been historically active. Hualca Hualca features a
wide amphitheatre-like structure on the northern flank, which was
created by a gigantic landslide during the Pleistocene. After the
collapse, renewed volcanic activity built a new summit and several lava
dome complexes within the collapse scar. After the cessation of volcanic
activity, glaciers eroded the volcano and formed multiple moraines. The
present-day volcano is covered by glaciers, and during the Last Glacial
Maximum, glaciers advanced to low altitudes. There are hot springs and
geysers north of the mountain, and the magma chambers of Sabancaya are
located below Hualca Hualca.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hualca_Hualca>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolution: The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence
Plantations became the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its
allegiance to the British Crown.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_of_Rhode_Island_and_Providence_Plantat…>
1942:
World War II: Aircraft from Imperial Japanese Navy vessels
attacked Allied naval forces, beginning the Battle of the Coral Sea, the
first naval action in which the participating ships never sighted or
fired directly at each other.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Coral_Sea>
1974:
An all-female Japanese team reached the summit of Manaslu in
the Himalayas, becoming the first women to climb a peak higher than
8,000 metres (26,247 ft) above sea level.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manaslu>
1979:
Margaret Thatcher became the first female prime minister of the
United Kingdom.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
Yodaspeak:
(informal) A form of speaking in which word order is altered.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Yodaspeak>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Lost — Yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two
golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered,
for they are gone forever.
--Horace Mann
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Horace_Mann>
The 2015 KNVB Cup final was an association football match between PEC
Zwolle and FC Groningen for the 97th KNVB Cup final, the Dutch Cup
competition, played on 3 May 2015 at De Kuip in Rotterdam. PEC, the
defending champions after their 5–1 victory over Ajax the previous
year, were appearing in their fourth final. Groningen had reached the
final once before, losing to PSV Eindhoven in 1989. PEC and Groningen
entered the competition in the second round and progressed through five
rounds to reach the final. Groningen scored 22 goals en route, the most
of any team during the qualifying rounds. In front of more than 46,000
spectators, the first half ended goalless. The Slovak Albert Rusnák
scored twice halfway through the second half, leading Groningen to a
2–0 victory and their first major honour. By winning the KNVB Cup,
Groningen qualified for the 2015 Johan Cruyff Shield and the 2015–16
UEFA Europa League group stage.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_KNVB_Cup_final>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1848:
The Benty Grange helmet, a boar-crested Anglo-Saxon helmet
similar to those mentioned in the contemporary epic poem Beowulf, was
discovered in Derbyshire, England.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benty_Grange_helmet>
1939:
Subhas Chandra Bose formed the All India Forward Bloc, a
faction within the Indian National Congress, in opposition to Gandhi's
tactics of nonviolence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_India_Forward_Bloc>
1999:
A Doppler on Wheels team measured the fastest winds recorded on
Earth, at 143.6 m/s (321 mph; 517 km/h), in a tornado near Bridge
Creek, Oklahoma.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Bridge_Creek%E2%80%93Moore_tornado>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mince words:
(idiomatic, intransitive, chiefly in the negative) To restrain oneself
when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order
to be polite, tactful, etc.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mince_words>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Friendships that are won by awards, and not by greatness and
nobility of soul, although deserved, yet are not real, and cannot be
depended upon in time of adversity.
--Niccolò Machiavelli
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli>
Margaret Sibella Brown (1866–1961) was a Canadian amateur bryologist
specializing in species native to Nova Scotia. Early in her career she
was involved with gathering sphagnum moss to be used as surgical
dressings during World War I, when cotton was in short supply. After
the war, she researched mosses from around the world, publishing papers
on materials she had collected herself as well as cataloging samples
collected by others; her collections are now housed at major herbaria in
North America and Europe. Born into upper-class society, Brown was
educated in Nova Scotia and abroad. Although lacking formal scientific
training, she has been recognized for her contributions to bryology and
as an authority on the mosses and liverworts of Nova Scotia. At the age
of 84, Brown was awarded an honorary MA degree from Acadia University
after declining their offer of a PhD. She died at her home in Halifax
aged 95 and in 2010 was posthumously inducted into the Nova Scotia
Scientific Hall of Fame.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Sibella_Brown>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1889:
The Treaty of Wuchale was signed, ending the Italo-Ethiopian
War, but differences in translation later led to another war.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italo-Ethiopian_War_of_1887%E2%80%931889>
1964:
Vietnam War: An explosion attributed to Viet Cong commandos
caused the escort carrier USNS Card to sink in the port of Saigon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_USNS_Card>
1999:
Mireya Moscoso became the first woman to be elected President
of Panama.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mireya_Moscoso>
2014:
Two mudslides in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan, killed at
least 350 people.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Badakhshan_mudslides>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
bend it like Beckham:
(intransitive, soccer) To kick a football (soccer ball), especially
during a free kick, in a manner which causes it to move in a curve
rather than in a straight line.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bend_it_like_Beckham>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty
of work to do. There is no fun in doing nothing when you have nothing to
do. Wasting time is merely an occupation then, and a most exhausting
one. Idleness, like kisses, to be sweet must be stolen.
--Jerome K. Jerome
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jerome_K._Jerome>